What If?
by PaulySheck
Summary: What if Alison never died but Maya still moved to Rosewood? Find out in this story of love, betrayal, hope, and jealousy.
1. The New Girl In Town

Emily and Alison sat in her bedroom listening to music as they looked through the pictures from the Halloween party. They were waiting for the other girls to arrive so they could go to the movies.

"You looked really good in that costume Em".

Emily blushed and let out a small smile Alison's way.

"Your Gaga costume was a hit".

"Yeah but Jenna had to come to the party and ruin it for me. I told her when I saw her in the costume store if she even dared to come to the party with that costume I'd kick her ass".

"Well if it helps at all, I thought yours was better".

Alison smiled a cheeky smile Emily's way just as Aria, Hanna, and Spencer entered the room.

"Hey girls" said Spencer.

"Hey Spence" replied Emily.

"Spencer Hastings, what did I tell you about that sweater? It makes you look way too preppy" said Alison.

Spencer sat down on the bed and rolled her eyes.

"Hey! Did you see the newbies down the street?" asked Aria.

"What newbies?" asked Emily curiously.

"There's a mom and a daughter who are moving in down the street" said Hanna.

Emily shot up and walked over to the window to look down the street. Sure enough there was a young, beautiful girl and her mother moving boxes into a house a few down from Emily's and across the street. She smiled as she watched them bring in boxes.

"She looks nice" said Emily.

Alison walked over to the window and stared out in the direction of the home.

"How can you tell she's nice Em?" asked Alison.

"She's smiling".

"It's the smiley people that I don't trust. Behind that smile could be evil".

Spencer started to laugh but stopped herself.

Emily turned around and sat with the other girls on her bed. Alison continued to stare at the house. The young girl looked up in Alison's direction and she gave her a brutal stare down then turned to the bed and joined the girls.

"So Aria...are you looking forward to the party at Noel's tonight?" asked Alison.

"...I guess so? Why?"

"Oh come on Aria! We all see right through that exterior...you like him".

"What?! I don't even know him".

"Well he seems to know you".

Aria blushed and let out a tiny smirk.

"He does?"

"He told me to make sure you come to the party tonight".

"Oooo Aria's got a boyfriend" said Hanna.

Aria playfully punched Hanna in the arm.

"Shut up Hanna!"

There was a ring at the doorbell that made all the girls jump. Emily jumped up off the bed and headed for the door.

"I'll get it!"

Emily climbed down her stairwell as she left the girls to talk about boys upstairs. When she opened the door, the new girl was standing outside.

"Hi...sorry if I'm interrupting..."

Emily paused in amazement. The girl standing in front of her was beautiful. Nothing like she had ever seen before.

"Uh...sorry...no you're not interrupting anything".

There was an awkward silence then the girl reached out her hand to shake Emily's.

"I'm Maya, I just moved in down the street".

Emily shook Maya's hand and continued to shake it awkwardly until she realized what she was doing.

"Uh...hi...I'm Emily, I live here..."

Emily blushed with humiliation which put a smile on Maya's face.

"I kind of assumed you lived here, you answered the door".

"Yeah...uh...sorry".

"You say sorry a lot".

"Sor-"

They both laughed. When Alison heard the laughing downstairs she yelled down for Emily.

"Who is it?!"

"It's the new girl, her name's Maya!" yelled back Emily.

"Well invite her in!"

Emily looked back at Maya who was still standing on the porch.

"Would you like to come in?"

"I should probably get back, my mom doesn't want to do all the unpacking".

"Right...well...if you ever need anything you know where I live".

"I'll be sure to stop by if I need some sugar".

Emily smiled as Maya giggled at her own comment.

"Have a good day" said Emily.

"You too" replied Maya as she walked away.

Emily watched the new beautiful girl walk away from her porch. She smiled because she was right...the new girl was nice. She closed the door behind her and made her way upstairs back into her room where the girls sat gossiping.

"Where's the newbie?" asked Alison.

"She couldn't stay".

"See...shady girl".

They all looked over at Emily with a sympathetic smile as she rolled her eyes. She ignored the comment and went back to the bed to sit with the girls. They talked about school, boys, Spencer's sister, and Aria's family. Emily couldn't focus though, the image of Maya was running through her head. Her long dark locks, the tone of her skin, her lips, her eyes, her body...she was beautiful and it intrigued Emily. She stared off into the abyss as the girls kept chatting away.

"Emily...Emily...Emily!" screamed Alison.

"Huh? Yeah...sorry...".

"What movie did you wanna go see?"

"I'm down for whatever".

"Alright comedy it is!" said Alison as she gathered her things and went straight for the door.

The other girls grabbed their things and followed Alison's lead. Emily slowly lagged behind. The girls were out Emily's bedroom door when Alison realized Emily wasn't following.

"Are you coming or not?!" she piped.

"I'll be there in a second".

The girls went downstairs and waited for Emily, who went to the window and looked down at Maya again. The new girl arrived in town and she couldn't help but think they'd get along really well.


	2. Noel's Party

It was early evening before Noel's party and the girls were at Alison's getting ready.

"What do you think of this shirt girls?" asked Hanna anxiously.

"I think it looks great Han!" said Aria.

Alison turned around to look at Hanna who was dressed in a tightly clipped but very flattering off the shoulder tee.

"Really?...I think it looks a little too tight clipped, don't you think?" said Alison rudely.

This caused Hanna to run to the bathroom and change.

"You don't have to be so mean Alison!" snapped Emily.

"I'm just trying to look out for her Em! I don't want people making fun of her".

Hanna came back into the room with the shirt she had on originally and a scowled look on her face.

"Oh lighten up buttercup! It's only a shirt!"

"Alison, I think you're being a little too hard on her?" asked Spencer.

"Do you girls wanna go to this party with me tonight or not?! Cause right now I think you're all trying to gang up on me!" replied Alison.

Alison walked over to the mirror and stood in front of it pouting. The girls stared at her, waiting for her to turn around and threaten to kick them out but she didn't. She stood there for a minute until Aria walked over and put her hand on Alison's shoulder.

"We're not trying to gang up on you Ally, we're just trying to ask you politely to be a little less hard on Hanna".

Alison turned around and shot a fake smile towards Hanna.

"I'm sorry for being rude Hanna, it won't happen again".

Hanna looked up from the spot she was staring at on the ground and smiled back.

"I forgive you but can we get going to this party? It's getting late".

The girls gathered their belongings and headed for the car. When they got to the party it was already packed. Noel was a huge douche bag to most people exceptions being Aria but he always knew how to throw a party. The girls scanned the backyard and headed straight for the keg. Alison poured them each a cup of beer and they all sipped on them politely where as Alison practically downed hers.

"I'll see you bitches later! I've got business to take care of" said Alison as she walked away.

The girls stood there looking confused. Noel walked by them and smiled at Aria, motioning her to follow him inside.

"I'll be back" she said as she followed Noel inside.

"I'm going to see what kind of snacks this kid has" said Hanna as she walked away.

"And then there were two of us" said Spencer.

Emily stood there, sipping on her beer, staring around the crowd to see if maybe just maybe Maya might of found out about the party and showed up but there was no sign of her, at least not yet.

"Who you looking for?" asked Spencer.

"Huh?...oh...uh...just seeing if some of the swim team made it out".

"Since when do you talk to any of the girls from the swim team outside of school?"

"I have friends on the team!" snapped Emily.

"Woah! Sorry..."

"Look Spence, I'm gonna go use the bathroom...I'll see you later".

Emily walked away, leaving Spencer alone in a crowd where she knew nobody. She walked over to the nearest empty lawn chair and sat down to text her sister.

Emily made her way inside to scan the crowd in there. She walked through the what seemed to be hundreds of people in Noel's living room but still no sign of Maya. How could she of been invited when she only moved in yesterday and today was Sunday? She shook off the thoughts and moved quickly towards the washroom. She managed to snag the fourth spot in line and waited patiently. Suddenly an anxious Maya came running up to the line, you could tell she was dying to use the bathroom. She ran up to the person in the front of the line.

"Hey! I normally don't do this but I'm dying here!" she said with anxiety in her voice.

"Get to the back of the line" said the person.

Maya started to walk towards the back of the line.

"Bitch..." she said under her breath.

"Hey Maya!" said Emily from in line.

"Emily!" replied Maya.

"You can jump in front of me?"

"Really?"

"Yeah of course!"

Maya got in line in front of Emily and smiled.

"Thank you so much! I broke the seal a little too early".

"I know exactly what you mean" said Emily without knowing a thing.

Emily wasn't much of a drinker but on an occasion like this she'd have a cup of beer.

"So how did you get invited to this anyways?" asked Emily.

"Oh! My mom knows Noel's parents pretty well so she asked his mom if Noel could show me around town and the first thing he asked me was to come to this party tonight. This house is huge!"

"I know! Noel's parents are quite wealthy".

"Yeah I hear they even have a cottage not too far north from here".

"It's the place to be in the summer".

"Well hopefully I'll see you there sometime this summer then".

Emily and Maya both smiled and got distracted by each other.

"Hey! Are you going or not?!" asked one of the other people waiting in line.

"Oh shit...sorry!" yelped Maya as she opened the door.

She grabbed Emily's hand and brought her inside the bathroom with her.

"What are you doing?" asked Emily.

"What too afraid to pee in front of another girl?!" asked Maya.

Emily blushed and looked away from Maya who was now sitting on the toilet.

"So how long have you lived in Rosewood?"

"I've been here most of my life. It's a nice place to grow up in".

Maya finished up and headed for the sink to wash her hands.

"Seems a little boring though, no?"

"It can be but my friends and I seem to find things to do".

"Oh yeah...sorry I couldn't join you girls yesterday".

"It's fine!"

"What did you get up to last night?"

"We went to see Easy A".

"How was it?"

"It was good, it's really funny".

"And that Emma Stone chick is a hottie!"

"Yeah she's alright I guess".

"Alright?! She's gorgeous and funny! That's rare".

Emily giggled just as there was a pounding on the door.

"Hurry up!" they could hear from the other side.

"Give a girl a chance! I gotta put a tampon on here buddy!" yelled Maya from inside as she giggled afterwards.

"Maya!"

"What?!"

Emily laughed.

"Are you going to the bathroom or not?" asked Maya.

"I guess I don't have to go anymore" replied Emily.

The girls made there way out of the bathroom and stared at the kid who was next in line.

"Sorry dude...a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do" said Maya with a smirk across her face.

They made there way back into the backyard where Emily scoped around looking for the other girls. She couldn't find any of them.

"You want another drink?" asked Maya.

"Yeah sure!" replied Emily.

Maya went over to the keg and grabbed them another beer. The second she left, Alison came up behind Emily and grabbed her hips.

"Hey beautiful!" shouted Alison.

Emily jumped at Alison's slight touch across her hips.

"Ally! You scared the shit out of me!"

"Where are the rest of the girls?"

"Beats me, I haven't seen them since we walked into the party".

Maya returned with the cups of beer and handed one to Emily as she stared at Alison.

"May I help you?" asked Alison with a rude tone in her voice.

"Oh Ally! This is Maya St. Germain, the girl who just moved down the street from me".

"Cute name..."

"Thanks?"

Emily nudged Alison in the side which pissed her off.

"Ouch Em! If you wanted alone time with your new girlfriend all you had to do was say something".

"She's not-"

"Forget it! I'm going to find Aria" interrupted Alison as she walked away.

Maya stood there with a puzzled look on her face.

"Sorry about that...she can be really mean sometimes but she means the best".

"I understand...a new girl in town can be all too much to the popular kids".

"What do you mean?"

"I mean sometimes when a new girl arrives to town, the popular girls tend to be jealous. They think we're here to steal all their friends...but I'm not like that at all".

"I never said you were".

"I never said that you said you were".

The girls laughed as they took an awkward sip from their cups.

"So she thinks I'm your new girlfriend huh?"

"She means my new friend that's a girl".

"Whatever you say. I'm just glad I have someone to talk to here".

"Me too".

"Do you wanna go somewhere quiet inside so we can talk without being overheard by hundreds of people?" asked Maya.

"Why? Do you have something to hide?" replied Emily.

"I just want to be able to hear you better that's all".

Emily nodded her head and Maya took the lead. She lead them into the guest room upstairs in Noel's house. Maya walked over to the bed and laid down on her back. Emily slowly and cautiously walked towards the bed as well. Maya patted the other side of the bed for Emily to get on. Emily put down her drink and laid down beside Maya.

"Did you ever used to connect the ceiling dots to try and make pictures on the ceiling as a kid?" asked Maya.

"All the time" replied Emily.

Maya pointed up to the left of them.

"Do you see the dinosaur right there in the ceiling?"

Emily looked really hard but couldn't manage to spot the dinosaur in the ceiling.

"I can't manage to see it".

"Look closely..."

She looked even harder but still couldn't see anything.

"I'm not seeing the dinosaur".

"It's okay! I guess your imagination isn't running at a high right now" said Maya in a smart-ass way.

"I'm creative" piped back Emily.

"Okay...tell me something you see in the ceiling".

Emily stared closely at the ceiling and managed to spot what she thought looked like an angel. She pointed at the ceiling to the right of them.

"There! It's an angel!"

Maya looked closely but couldn't see anything.

"I'm not seeing the angel" she said.

"Right there!" pointed Emily.

"...still not seeing it!"

Emily grabbed Maya's hand in hers and pointed Maya's finger towards the angel she was seeing. Maya's hand was warm and soft as Emily slowly let go of her hand.

"I see it now!" said Maya smiling.

Emily smiled back and turned on her side to face Maya causing Maya to do the same. They were now inches apart, facing each other on Noel's guest room bed.

"Why Rosewood?" asked Emily.

"My mom needed a change".

"A change from what?"

"Just a change of atmosphere".

"You're not like other girls, you know that?"

"And what are other girls like?"

"They always need to know each other's business. With you...there's still some element of surprise".

"I like a little surprise once in a while".

"Like this..." said Emily as she leaned over and kissed Maya.

Maya was taken a back at Emily's confidence to just lean in for a kiss. She cupped her hand onto Emily's cheek and leaned in deeper to the kiss. If Emily could describe the kiss she'd say it felt like she was swimming against the clock but she didn't care what timing was read, she was in the now and that's all she cared about. As the kiss grew more passionate, the door swung open and Emily pushed Maya off of her just as Alison stood in the doorway.

"Am I interrupting something?!" she snapped.

"Nope...just talking..." said Emily suspiciously.

Maya sat up and looked over at Emily.

"I better get going. I don't want to come in too late on my first night out in a new town, my mom will freak".

She smiled at Emily and then left, passing a pissed-off looking Alison.

"Let's go!" shouted Alison from in the doorway.

"What's your problem Ally?!"

"I can't find the girls anywhere and my business is done here so let's go!"

Emily sat up and gathered her things as she walked towards the door where Alison stood.

"So tell me Em...is she a good kisser or what?"

"We didn't kiss Ally!" snarked Emily defensively.

"I know a lie when I hear one" replied Alison who was leading the way out of the party.

They walked to the car where the other girls were already standing.

"Where the hell have you been?!"

"I was with Noel in the basement...did you know he plays guitar?..." asked Aria.

"Nope..." replied Spencer.

"Is he any good?" asked Hanna.

"Stop your gossiping and get in!" said Alison from inside the driver's seat.

They all hopped in and drove away. As the car sped off, Emily saw Maya getting into a car with Noel. She waved and Maya smiled back and nodded her head. All Emily could think about was the kiss. She had never had enough courage to do that for any of her past failed relationships with boys so what made Maya different? There was something about Maya that completely turned Emily on. Was it her laid back attitude? Her witty comments? Or was it simply because she was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen? Either way...Emily couldn't wait to explore the feelings she was having some more.


	3. Alone Time

**I AM INCREDIBLY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FASTER. WORK IS BRUTAL RIGHT NOW ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IT'S THAT HOLIDAY TIME OF THE YEAR...SO I PROMISE I WILL WRITE AT LEAST ONE MORE BEFORE WORK KICKS MY ASS AGAIN! AFTER THE HOLIDAYS I WILL UPDATE FASTER I PROMISE! THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT AND FOR READING MY STORIES! :)**

Emily woke up the morning after Noel's party with a huge smile on her face. She couldn't stop thinking about the kiss between her and Maya and she couldn't wait to do it again. She rolled over in her bed and smiled, when suddenly her phone rang. She looked at the caller display and it was Alison.

"Hey Ally!" she said.

"Did I wake you up?" asked Alison.

"Nope, wide awake over here".

"Good! I'm coming over!"

Emily paused before answering. She wanted to say no because she wanted to go over to Maya's place and see what she was doing today but she knew how Alison would react.

"I can't hang out today Ally".

"Why the hell not?"

"I promised my mom that I'd help her around the house".

"Since when do you help your mom around the house?"

"Since she asked me to".

"Tell her it's an emergency...tell her I really need help with a school project, she'll believe you".

"How about I call you when I'm done helping her out?"

Alison paused before answering. Emily could hear the angry breathing begin but she tried to stay calm.

"Fine! But you owe me!"

"I'll talk to you later Ally".

They both hung up and Emily went straight for the shower. She wanted to look nice for when she arrived unannounced to Maya's place. She had the perfect idea planned for the day, she just hoped her mom would let her have the car. After her shower, she took another forty five minutes to figure out what to wear. She finally went with a simple pair of light blue ripped jeans and a baseball styled three quarter length sleeved tee, which was grey and blue. She took one last look in the mirror and then ran downstairs to get the car keys.

"I'm taking the car for the afternoon mom, is that okay?!" she shouted up to her mom who was in her bedroom.

"Make sure you're back for dinner!" she shouted back.

Emily grabbed the keys and flew out the door. She got into the car and drove a couple of doors down to Maya's place. She began to feel nervous. She had never been here before and she didn't know what her mother would be like. She slowly went to the door and rang the door bell. A tall, and just as beautiful middle aged woman answered the door.

"Hello?...may I help you?" asked the obvious mother of Maya St. Germain.

"Is Maya in?"

"Sure, one moment...Maya!" she yelled up to her daughter.

"What?!" shouted back Maya.

"There's a young lady at the door for you!"

Emily could hear the foot steps approaching from upstairs. She saw the beautiful girl descend from the stairwell, down to the front door where they smiled at each other. Maya's mother was still standing there.

"Mom, this is Emily Fields...the girl I was telling you about from up the street".

"Hello Emily, it's really nice to meet you".

"It's nice to meet you to Ms St. Germain".

"Please...call me Rosa".

Emily smiled as Rosa left them alone. Maya opened the door and lead Emily to the front steps. They both sat down.

"So you left the party around the same time I did, was it that boring?" asked Maya.

"Well it was boring until you got there" smiled Emily.

Maya blushed and looked over at Emily who was staring at her.

"If it wasn't for Alison things might've heated up some more".

Emily blushed and lowered her head.

"What's wrong? Scared of a little fun?"

"I'm not scared, I'm just nervous".

"Do I make you nervous?"

Maya placed her hand over top of Emily's who jumped at the feel of her touch. Emily giggled which in return made Maya giggle.

"You don't make me nervous. I think I make myself nervous".

"Why is that?"

"Because I can't say I've ever felt this way about..."

"About a girl?..." asked Maya as she finished Emily sentence.

"Yeah..."

Maya smiled a reassuring smile towards Emily then looked at the car in her driveway.

"You drove here?"

Emily giggled.

"Well yes but I was going to see if you wanted to go somewhere".

"Like where?"

"Like the lake just north of here, was going to see if you wanted to go to for a walk or something".

"Like a date?"

"...like a date".

They both looked at each other and smiled. Maya nodded her head yes.

"Let me go grab my purse".

"Okay..."

Maya ran inside to grab her purse and Emily still sat on the front steps smiling. Maya returned and passed Emily, going straight for the car.

"Shotty!" she yelled.

"You're the only one coming Maya".

"I meant shotty, I get to drive!"

"Maya no!" said Emily as she approached Maya who was standing at the driver's door.

"Pretty please?"

"It's my mom's car".

"She doesn't need to know".

"Well what if she happens to be on the street and sees us pulling away with you driving?"

"She won't! I promise!".

Emily pulled the car keys out of her purse and reluctantly handed them to Maya. Maya smiled and hopped into the car. Emily cautiously entered the passenger's seat and shot an awkward smile towards Maya who was so excited to be sitting in the driver's seat.

"You have your license right?" asked Emily.

"Of course I do!" piped Maya.

And with that the car started and off they went. As they drove by Emily's house, Emily ducked down just in case but there was no sign of her mom. It wasn't until they were approaching Alison's house that Emily became a little concerned.

"Shit!" screamed Emily.

"What?! What is it?" asked Maya curiously.

"It's Alison! I lied to her so I didn't have to hang out with her and now there she is".

"Then duck!"

Emily ducked and Maya stared out the window and waved sarcastically at Alison who was standing outside her house. She giggled as Emily came back up and continued to point Maya in the right direction.

When they finally got there, Emily opened the trunk and pulled out a blanket for them to lay on. They walked over to the closest part of the lake and laid down the blanket. They both laid down on the blanket and as their arms fell beside each other, they found each other hand in hand.

"Deja vu" said Maya.

"Huh?" said Emily confused.

"Last night we were looking up at the ceiling, now we're looking up at the clouds".

"Clouds were always more fun to describe".

"There's a dinosaur over there" pointed Maya to the sky.

"You must love dinosaurs" replied Emily as she giggled.

"Who doesn't love dinosaurs?"

"Who doesn't love angels? In fact, there's one right there" pointed Emily to nothing.

"I can't see it".

Emily grabbed Maya's hand that she was holding and pointed it to the nothing in the sky. Their hands stayed intertwined as they lowered back down to the blanket where they were lying.

"You know Friday when I came over to introduce myself, I didn't expect someone like you to answer the door".

"Someone like me?"

"Yeah, someone so beautiful and incredibly nice".

"Are you kidding me?! When I opened the door I did not expect you to be standing there".

"Me?"

"You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen and I don't know what it is but I am so intrigued by you".

Maya turned to face Emily so Emily did the same.

"Maybe it's this..."

Maya reached her arm behind Emily's neck and pulled her in for a kiss. They began to kiss deeper and deeper. They weren't coming up for breath. This is exactly what Emily wanted today. She wanted all the alone time she could have with Maya before school started up next week and Alison would be there to destroy all hope of a make out session with Maya. Their arms now completely wrapped around each other as they continued to passionately kiss each other. Their hands moving around each other's bodies, behind their necks, down their backs, across their faces. This was the best Sunday afternoon Emily had in a while.

"Slow down...slow down..." said Maya.

"Is something wrong?" asked Emily.

"No not at all! I just don't want to rush things".

"Aren't I the new one here?"

"Exactly! So slow it's going to be".

Maya smiled at Emily and kissed her on the forehead. She laid back down and wrapped her arm around Emily. Emily leaned in to Maya's chest to hear her heart beat which was beating really fast. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. Before they knew it, they were both fast asleep on the blanket by the lake. Peaceful and alone.


	4. Things Change

**HEY! SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING THAT QUICKLY! I AM OFFICIALLY DONE ALL THE HOLIDAY HOOPLA AT WORK SO IT'S TIME FOR ME TO WISH EVERYONE A MERRY XMAS (IF U CELEBRATE) AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'M GOING TO TRY AND FIT IN A CHAPTER OR TWO BEFORE I GO BACK TO WORK, SO ENJOY! :)**

****As the Halloween weekend drew to an end, the school week began. Emily could hardly focus in class. All she could think about was Maya and the amazing weekend she had with her. She sat through and bared through all her classes then as the bell rang for the end of the day, she rushed to Maya's locker to ask her if she wanted to go for coffee after school. Before she could get to her locker, Alison jumped in.

"Hey Em! How was class?" she asked.

"It was alright! Nothing special, you?" replied Emily.

"That Ezra Fitz is quite the looker".

"Ew! You think so?"

"I know so! I've got to bring my grades down in English so I can have some one on one time with him" giggled Alison.

"Ally!" yelped back Emily as she playfully punched Alison in the arm.

"What?!"

They both giggled.

"So what are you doing tonight? I was thinking you could come over and we could watch a movie or something..." said Alison.

"I'd love to but I already have plans".

"Let me guess...Maya?"

"Yeah..."

"Emily! I still think you need to watch your back with that girl. She's trouble".

"She's perfectly fine Ally! Stop worrying about me. Invite the girls over for a movie night, I'm sure they'd like to join you".

"Yeah but I wanted just you and I to hang out".

"Rain check?"

Alison paused for a while to build tension like she loved to do.

"Fine! But you owe me!"

"I promise!" said Emily as she began to walk away.

"Wait...where are you going?"

"I'm headed to Maya's locker. I've gotta catch her before she leaves".

"Alright, well call me if things change!"

"I will! But I have a feeling they won't!" shouted Emily from halfway down the hallway.

Alison glared at the back of Emily as she walked away. Emily practically ran to Maya's locker just as she was closing it up and heading out the building.

"Maya! Wait up!" yelled Emily.

Maya turned around to see Emily walking towards her, she smiled.

"Emily..."

"How was your first day?"

"It was class".

They both stared at each other and giggled.

"So...I was wondering if you wanted to grab coffee on the way home? My treat".

"Sure! What about your other friends? Don't you normally walk home with them?"

"Yeah but I'm sure they won't mind".

Maya smiled and began to walk towards the front doors of the school, Emily following closely behind.

They walked the long way to the coffee shop so they could talk about Maya's first day at the new school and about their weekend together. Emily kept staring at Maya even when they weren't talking. She was just so happy to be next to her. They arrived at the coffee shop and placed their things down at the table. Maya went to grab her wallet but Emily stopped her.

"I said it was my treat, remember? What would you like?"

"Anything?"

"Anything!"

"Well in that case I'll get a large caramel latte with a Rice Krispie dream".

"Anything else?"

"I was joking Emily! I'll just have a medium coffee".

"Are you sure?"

"Positive!"

Emily smiled and went to order their drinks. Maya sat at the table, staring at Emily and smiling. She too hadn't been this happy in a while. When Emily turned around to bring the drinks back to the table, she saw Maya staring at her and smiling.

"What?"

"What do you mean, what?"

"I mean...is there something on my face or something?"

"Nope! Just taking in your beauty that's all".

Emily sat down and blushed.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?"

"I'm sure".

They took a few sips of their beverages in silence before Maya piped up.

"So your friend Alison seems to hate me".

"She doesn't hate you! She just doesn't trust you".

"Hmm...even better!"

"No it's not like that! She just has a hard time trusting new people".

"I saw her in the hallway today and I smiled but all I got back was a nice pair of eyes giving me the death stare".

"She gave you the death stare?!"

"Mmmhmm".

"I'll talk to her".

"It's fine! Just let it be, she just seems really jealous".

"Why would she be jealous?"

"I dunno? Maybe she has some sort of secret crush on you".

A flashback ran through Emily's mind. It was of her and Alison alone in Emily's room one night.

_"That top looks really nice on you Em"._

_"Thanks! My dad bought it for me"._

_"Cute! Just like you"._

_Emily went in to kiss Alison but Alison ducked away from the kiss._

_"Emily! What are you doing?!"_

_"I thought..."_

_"Well you thought wrong sweetie! I'm sorry"._

"Emily...Emily..." repeated Maya.

Emily shook her head out of the flashback and looked at Maya.

"Sorry! What did you say?"

"I asked if your coffee tasted okay".

"Oh! Yeah it's fine".

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah! Just a little spaced out from school but that's what this coffee is for right?!" said Emily with a corny grin on her face.

"I guess so..." replied Maya.

They spent the next couple of hours chatting about everything, getting to know each other a lot better. They were comfortable around each other. They knew what to say and what not to say, they listened to each other carefully, they even took turns speaking with no interruptions from either end. They both couldn't get their goofy smiles off each other's faces. A couple of hours passed and it was time to head back to their places for another school day was approaching fast and homework was a must do.

"Should we head back?" asked Maya.

"Yeah! I'll walk you home" replied Emily.

"You don't have to".

"But I want to".

Maya smiled and they both left the coffee shop to head towards Maya's house. They walked side by side and soon their hands were linked together like they'd been dating for months. When they approached Maya's driveway, they took their time heading up to the front porch.

"So I had a good time this evening" said Maya.

"Me too!" replied Emily.

"We should do it again sometime".

Maya giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"You're talking like it's only our first date when really it feels like we've been on more then just one date".

"I guess your right...sorry it's been a while".

"Don't apologize! I think it's cute!"

"Really?"

"Mmmhmm".

"Well I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"I guess you will".

Maya smiled and slowly let her hand go from Emily's. She lingered hoping for a kiss and sure enough, Emily leaned in and kissed Maya goodnight.

"Goodnight Maya".

"Goodnight Emily.

Maya slowly walked up her front steps then turned back around to see Emily staring at her.

"What?"

"What do you mean, what?"

"I mean, do I have something on my ass or something?"

"Nope! Just making sure you get in the house alright".

Maya smiled and waved goodbye to Emily, Emily waved back just as the door shut behind Maya. Maya pressed her back against the front door and let out a happy sigh. As she did so, Emily was outside, slowly making her way down Maya's driveway with a huge grin on her face.

She felt bad for ditching Alison after school but she needed Alison to realize that things change and she can't always drop everything for her. When she finally made it back home, Emily went straight to bed. She couldn't wait to wake up and see Maya's face again at school tomorrow.


	5. Stay Away From Her

The next day at school, Emily was hoping to run into Maya but she couldn't find her anywhere. Nowhere to be found between classes, at lunch, after school, where could she have been? She called her a few times but no answer, texting her but no reply. As Emily was leaving school she ran into Hannah who she knew was in one of Maya's classes.

"Hey Han!" said Emily as she approached her.

"Hey Em! What's up?" asked Hannah.

"Have you seen Maya today?"

"Yeah she was in class, why?"

"Really?! I haven't been able to find her anywhere".

"I'm sure she's around somewhere, try and catch her before she leaves".

"Yeah...I'll text you later!"

And with that being said, Emily took off down the hallway to see if she could find her. She searched the halls but there was no luck. The only person she ran into was Alison, who was standing at the front doors apparently waiting for her.

"Hey Em!" she shouted as Emily approached.

"Hey Ally! Have you seen Maya anywhere?"

"Nope, haven't seen her all day".

"That's so weird! Hannah said she saw her in class today but I haven't been able to get a hold of her all day".

"Oh well! I'm sure everything is okay...what are you doing right now?"

"I was going to go over to Maya's and see her".

"Again?! Em! I need my best friend back!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I haven't hung out with you in forever!"

"You were hanging with me this weekend, it's only Tuesday today".

"Yeah well can't a girl have some fun with her friends?"

Emily paused and stared at Alison. Should she just ignore the fact she hasn't seen Maya all day and spend some quality time with Ally or should she see Ally later and stop at Maya's first?

"Fine!"

"Perfect! Should we go shopping or hang at your place?"

"My mom's home right now but I'm sure she won't mind having you over. Are the rest of the girls going to join us?"

"They might later".

"Alright, well let's get going then".

Alison and Emily took off from the school and went to Emily's for what would be an evening full of laughter and fun.

* * *

**3 HOURS AGO, IN THE GIRLS WASHROOM AT SCHOOL.**

Maya stood at the mirror, touching up her eyeliner when Alison walked in and placed the garbage can in front of the door so no one could come in. Maya looked back and stared at Alison with a confused look on her face.

"What are you doing?" she asked Alison.

"Look...you're going to listen and listen carefully..."

Maya looked back into the mirror and let out a sarcastic giggle.

"What's so funny?!" asked Alison.

"I just find it hilarious that you don't trust me".

"How am I supposed to trust someone when I know they're messing with my girl".

"Your girl? Last time I checked, Emily and I were the ones kissing and holding hands...not you two".

"She's just a friend Maya! A friend I'm looking out for".

"Then why are you acting so defensive?! You don't have a secret crush on her, do you?"

"I'm acting defensive because I find you shady".

"What have I ever done or said to you to make you think I'm a shady person?"

Alison paused and let out a huff of frustration.

"Exactly...I've done nothing!" said Maya.

"Look, I didn't want to say this but Emily isn't exactly telling you the truth".

"Oh so now you're looking out for me by telling me bullshit about Emily?!"

"It's not bullshit, I swear!"

"Please go ahead..."

"She's using you".

"Oh come on! Can you ever just be happy for your friends instead of always putting them down?!"

"She hasn't ever been in a relationship with a girl before".

"I know that already!"

"Yeah but what you don't know is that just a week ago she kissed me...she's been in love with me since we first met".

"Bullshit!"

"Ask her yourself...she's just using you to get over me".

"Not true!"

"I'll leave it up to you to decide who's telling the truth. In the meantime I have class to get to...just remember what I said!"

Alison removed the garbage can and walked out of the washroom, leaving Maya alone in the girls washroom to stare into the mirror and think about what Ally just told her. Is it true? Did Emily kiss Alison only a week ago? Was she really in love with her best friend and she just needed someone to help her get over her? Maya shook her head and grabbed her bag, heading out of the washroom and out of the school. She just wanted to go home and smoke a joint and fall asleep. She'd talk to Emily later about it all but for now she needed out of that place.

* * *

Alison, Emily, and the rest of the girls spent the afternoon and early evening at Emily's chatting in her room about all the gossip but Emily couldn't get her mind off of Maya. Was she okay? Where was she all afternoon?

Around dinner time, Emily's mom told the girls they all needed to go home so they did. Emily ate her dinner quickly and headed over to Maya's to see if she was home. She knocked a few times but there was no answer. Just as she was walking away from the house, Maya opened the door and yelled for her to come back.

"I'm here!" she piped.

Emily turned around and smiled.

"Where were you all day? You didn't answer my calls, my texts..."

"Wasn't feeling well".

Emily approached the door and playfully grabbed at Maya's shirt.

"Anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Maya grabbed back her shirt from Emily's hand.

"No, not really".

"What's wrong?"

There was a moment of silence before Maya spoke.

"Did you kiss Alison a week ago?"

"Who told you that?!"

"Alison..."

"Look, it was before we met!"

"She said you did it because you were in love with her...is this true?"

"I'm not in love with her! Nor was I in the first place".

"Then why did you do it?"

"I dunno? It felt right at the time".

"It felt right to kiss your best friend?"

"I dunno?! I'm new to all this! I've tried to toss aside my feelings towards girls but I couldn't control it".

"So you did have feelings for Alison then?"

"Maya please! This was all before you came into the picture. You think I sit there and daydream about Alison and not you? If so, you're wrong! You're all I think about now! For instance, I was looking around for you all day but I couldn't find you anywhere!"

"I was here, hoping you'd stop by after school".

"Ally and the girls wanted to hang out, that's why I'm here so late".

"Well your little friend Ally caught me in the washroom this afternoon and practically forced me to listen to her say that you were in love with her and that she doesn't trust me, blah, blah, blah!"

"Well I'm sorry you had to go through that! I swear I'll kick her ass".

"Please do!"

They both giggled. Maya grabbed Emily's hands and held them in hers.

"So you promise me that it's only me you like?"

"I promise!"

"Pinky swear?" asked Maya as she held out her pinky.

"Pinky swear!" replied Emily as she linked her pinky with Maya's.

"Well I'd love to stay and chat but I have so much homework to do! See you tomorrow?"

"Yes! I'll be there!"

They smiled at each other and then kissed each other goodnight. As Emily walked back to her house, she grew a serious frustration towards Alison. How could she do that to her?! She was just jealous because she wasn't hanging out with her everyday after school. All she knew was that tomorrow at school, Alison would be getting a serious talk to.


	6. Maybe We Should Take A Break

**IT'S A SHORT ONE! I APOLOGIZE!**

The next day at school, Emily wasn't searching for Maya this time she was searching for Alison. She couldn't believe that she went and told Maya that she was in love with her and that Maya was just a back up plan to get over her. Emily was so furious that when she finally found Alison, it all just started to blurt out.

"I can't believe you'd go and do something like that Ally! Out of all the people!..." screamed Emily as she approached Alison who was standing with an unusual face she had never been before.

"Woah Em! Calm down!"

"Calm down?! You almost ruined things between Maya and I".

"What are you talking about?"

Suddenly the guy tapped Alison on the shoulder and motioned that he was going to leave. Alison tried to stop him but he ran off quickly.

"Now look what you did!" shouted Alison back at Emily.

"I'm sure you'll both get over it! But as for me getting over what you told Maya yesterday, now that's a whole other story".

"I told you Emily, she's a shady bitch and I was just trying to protect me".

"Protect me from what?! The fact she smokes a joint once in a blue moon! I'm a big girl, I can defend myself if I need to".

"You're so naive Emily! She can't be trusted".

"And explain to me why again?"

"She's a shady character, she's always alone, never talks to anyone, she skips her classes, someone even told me they caught her in the ladies washroom talking to herself".

"Oh my God Ally! You have to be kidding me! These are the reasons she's shady to you?! She's always alone because it's not easy to make friends here in Rosewood, she never talks to anyone because all they do is give her dirty looks probably because of things you tell them, and she skips class because she feels lost in a room full of people who have known each other for so long. As for the washroom thing, that's bullshit and you know it! I just don't get where all this jealousy comes from".

"Jealousy?! You think I'm jealous of Maya?"

"I do!"

"And why would I be jealous of some hipster bitch who moves in down the street from you and who's mother would probably flip when she finds out her daughter likes to unwind with a little pot smoking in her backyard at night?!"

"Ally, don't! Telling her mom about the pot smoking has nothing to do with your hatred for this girl. I've been thinking about it a lot lately and the only thing that makes sense is that, you're in love with me but you're too scared to admit it. When I kissed you about a week ago, you actually enjoyed it but you're too afraid to admit it because you're too afraid of what might happen. You're afraid if you admit it to me that I'd still choose Maya over you".

"Bullshit! Now you're talking crazy".

"Am I?! Or am I speaking the truth? Just admit it! You like me back and now that I've found Maya you're taking out your anger on her instead of me?"

"Not true! You know Emily...I thought we were friends. I guess I was wrong! All I was doing was looking out for you but if jealousy is how you see it then so be it! Maybe it's just time for us to spend some time apart".

"Maybe you're right! Maybe you just need more time to get used to this whole Maya and I being together deal".

"And maybe you just need to open your eyes wide and take a look at what's going on around you. You'll soon understand the shadiness I've been talking about".

"Have a great day Ally! And remember to not speak a word to me unless it's an apology for what you said to my girlfriend".

"Goodbye Emily".

Alison turned around in a huff and scattered down the hallway. Emily stood by Alison's locker for a few minutes to take in what just happened. She thought both of them said things they didn't mean but she was totally into what Alison said. Maybe spending some time apart as friends would help them both realize where each other was coming from. Only time would tell.


	7. I Meant What I Said

The next day after Alison and Emily's fall out, Emily made her way to Maya's place so they could walk to school together. When she arrived at Maya's place, she saw Alison standing at the doorway. She looked like she wasn't sure if she wanted to knock or not. Emily slowly approached.

"What the hell are you doing Ally?!" she asked.

Alison jumped and turned around to see Emily standing there, looking confused.

"You scared the shit out of me!" replied Alison, not answering Emily's question.

"You didn't answer my question...what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping you were here..."

"Ally, I told you! I don't want to see you anymore...at least not for a while".

"Please let me explain!"

Just as Emily was about to speak again, the front door to Maya's place opened and out popped Maya. She looked down at the two girls with a confused look on her face.

"What is she doing here?!" asked Maya.

"I was just asking her the same question" replied Emily without hesitation.

Alison paused for a minute before speaking.

"Look...I just came here to talk to you Emily. I need you to know a few things...things I never got to say last night because we argued too much and ended up leaving each other in the dust..."

"I said everything I wanted to say so don't expect much out of me".

"I just need you to know that I'm sorry for what I put you through. All these years, I knew you had a crush on me and I lead you on and have continued to lead you on the whole time. I didn't mean for it to cause tension in our friendship which would later lead to me being jealous the second you actually found someone who was also attracted to you as more than a friend".

"That's a really nice apology but I can't accept it".

"I'm not done! Please hear me out!"

Emily rolled her eyes while Maya seemed intrigued to hear the rest of the apology.

"Please go ahead!" said Maya sarcastically.

"You and I have always been close. Sometimes I feel closer to you than any of the other girls, and it's not because I'm in love with you but because I care about you. I don't want to see you getting hurt and when Maya came to town I automatically put up my guards. I'm the kind of person who doesn't trust people that easily and yes, when I first met her, I didn't trust her. I just thought that maybe she was interested in a little experimenting with girls and then she'd drop you when she was done having fun but I was wrong. And I'm really sorry for that as well. Maya, I should've never judged you from the little I knew about you. All I knew was that you were into smoking weed..."

Just as Alison said the word weed, Maya's mom came out and looked down at all the girls who were looking up at her with terrified faces.

"Mom!..."

"Is there a reason you're still outside my door step? Run along! You're gonna be late for school!" her mother shouted.

The girls all grabbed their bags and started walking towards school. There was an awkward silence before Maya spoke.

"So because I smoke weed I'm a shady person?" laughed Maya.

"No! It's not like that!"

"Then what does me smoking weed have anything to do with you not trusting me?"

"Forget it! I'll take the hint and get lost!" said Alison as she began to walk in a different direction from the girls.

"Come on Alison! I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I'm just curious to know what makes the weed smoking part of the reason you hate me?"

"I don't hate you! I just brought the smoking weed into the scenario because it's such a filthy habit. I didn't want my best friend to hang with someone who's smoking weed all the time".

"I don't smoke it all the time!"

"I guess what I'm trying to say to both of you, is that I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to come between your relationship, I didn't mean to burn bridges, pick fights or lose friends. I was just looking out for one but I was wrong about you Maya. From what I hear, you're a great person".

Maya looked at Alison and half smiled.

"Thank you" said Maya.

"Does that mean you forgive me?" replied Alison.

"...I forgive you! It doesn't mean I'm ready to be best friends but in time maybe a friendship can develop".

"Emily...you're really quiet" said Alison.

Emily turned to Alison and gave her a sarcastic smirk.

"You think you can just show up like this and apologize to us and expect everything to go back to the way it was? It's never going to be the same Ally! You almost tore apart the one thing that actually meant something to me. Being with Maya openly was a huge thing for me and you almost ruined it for both of us. I'm really sorry but I can't just accept your apology and run back into your arms. When you said maybe we should take some time apart and I agreed, I meant it. Let's lead up to having a friendship again but for now, I have to just say thank you and move on".

Alison stopped walking along side them and stood in the middle of the sidewalk in shock. She didn't move but Emily kept moving at the pace she was. Maya however, slowed down and looked back at Alison who looked really upset. She stopped for a minute and went to go back to see Alison but Emily stopped her.

"Are you coming or not?" said Emily.

"I'm coming!" replied Maya as she ran to catch up to Emily.

Maya took one last look back at Alison and then continued to walk with Emily.

"What was that?" said Maya.

"What was what?" replied Emily.

"You just left her in the dust back there..."

"Maya, she almost ruined everything between you and I. She lied to the both of us and tried her hardest to make us mad at each other. I can't just let a simple apology lay that to rest".

"It seemed sincere..."

"Yeah well you clearly don't know Ally, she's the queen of deception".

Maya took one last look back at Alison but she was gone. She probably went a different way to school.

"I just don't want you to lose a close friendship over me! Accepting the apology wouldn't of mattered to me".

"Well it matters to me! Just let it go please..."

"Fine!..."

Emily stopped and grabbed Maya's hands in hers.

"I don't want you to think I'm not a forgiving person because I am...I just can't forgive Alison, at least not now. I like you, in fact I like you a lot and she was jealous and almost ruined things for us. I want to spend time with you, get to know you better, see where this goes, and if Ally's in the picture then we won't get to doing that. She'll try everything she can to break us up and I don't want that...so you gotta trust me! Taking some time apart from her will not only do us good but it will do her good. She can move on to another jealousy and let our relationship grow".

Maya smiled and gave Emily a huge hug and kiss.

"And this is why I like you a lot too!"

"Why's that?"

"Because you always know what to say".

They both smiled and locked hands together to walk the rest of the way to school. Emily was happy to finally stand up for herself, to not give in so easily to Alison's crap. For the rest of the walk to school, Emily and Maya didn't say a word to each other. They walked hand in hand with a huge smile swiped across their faces.


	8. Will You?

A couple of weeks had gone by without any trouble from Alison. Emily and Maya's relationship was growing and they were enjoying every minute of it. Holding hands as they walked down the halls, walking each other to classes, kissing each other goodbye at their lockers...this was all stuff that Emily could never have done only a mere month ago. She was constantly walking around with a smile on her face, never happier.

Emily walked by the bulletin board outside the principal's office. There was a sign up for the Sadie Hawkins dance this weekend. She wasn't really into dances but she thought it would be a perfect date idea for her and Maya. She headed straight for the cafeteria where she knew they'd be selling tickets and bought two, one for her and one for her gorgeous girlfriend. After school she made her way to Maya's locker to ask her to the dance. Just as she was turning the corner to go ask her, Alison literally bumped into Emily causing her books to fall to the ground.

"Jeeze Emily! You gotta watch where you're going!" piped Alison.

Emily looked up from the ground where she was picking up her books to see Alison smiling down at her.

"A little help maybe?" asked Emily.

Alison knelt down to help Emily pick up her books. They both stood up at the same time and Emily knew it was time for some awkward conversation.

"So how have you been?" asked Alison.

"Good...you?"

"I've been great! How's Maya?"

"Why do you care?"

"Come on Emily! I'm trying here!"

"...she's good!"

"You gonna ask her to the Sadie Hawkins dance? Or are dances still not your thing?"

"No, I'm gonna ask her! I was actually on my way to do that".

"Oh well, don't let me stop you".

Alison moved out of the way so Emily could pass. Emily paused for a minute and debated on saying goodbye to Alison but ended up just walking past her. Alison watched with sad eyes as Emily walked away without even saying goodbye.

Emily slowly crept up on Maya and grabbed her around the waist, sending Maya jumping in the air.

"Emily! You scared the crap out of me!"

"Sorry babe!"

Emily gave her girlfriend a peck on the cheek and smiled. She started rummaging through her bag to find the tickets to the dance.

"What are you doing?" asked Maya.

"I'm trying to find something!" replied Emily.

"Find what?"

"You'll see!" said Emily as she finally pulled them out and held them behind her back.

"What'ya go there?"

"Maya St. Germain...will you go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with me this weekend?" said Emily as she slowly pulled the tickets from behind her back.

Maya smiled and paused before answering.

"A school dance?"

"Yes..."

"Where the girl asks the guy or in your case the girl asks the girl?"

"Yes..."

"I'm not much of a school dance kinda girl".

Emily huffed as she placed the tickets back into her bag and zipped her bag up. She looked at Maya for a split second and started to walk away from her.

"Emily!" shouted Maya.

Emily continued to walk towards the front doors of the school.

"Emily!" she shouted again.

Emily still didn't turn around so Maya closed her locker, grabbed her things, and booted after her down the hallway. She finally caught up with her and grabbed her hand, turning her around to face her.

"Emily...what's wrong?"

"I just thought maybe we could do something else for a change. I'm not much of a school dance person either, I just wanted to be romantic and take you somewhere different".

"A school dance is romantic?"

Emily rolled her eyes at Maya's comment and pulled her hand away to walk out the door but Maya wouldn't let her leave.

"It was a joke! I'm sorry!"

"I just wanted to make you happy. If I would've known that school dances weren't your thing either then I wouldn't of bought the tickets".

"You do make me happy! You make me happy every day by just being here! I don't need you to woo me with romance. The romance comes when you just be yourself. I don't need grand gestures or fancy things to be woo'ed by you. I just need you".

Emily smiled and placed her forehead against Maya's. They both stared into each other's eyes and then kissed. They wrapped their arms around each other and smiled.

"So I should probably go get my money back?"

Maya paused and then let out a tiny little smirk.

"No".

"What do you mean no?"

"You asked me to the dance and bought our tickets so were going".

"But..."

"No buts...the gesture was romantic enough for me. No one's ever asked me to a dance before especially not someone as beautiful as you".

"So were going?"

"Yes!"

"We don't have to go if you don't want to".

"I want to".

"Are you sure?!"

"Stop asking me if I'm okay with it, were going!"

Emily smiled really big which made Maya do the same thing.

"Is there some sort of theme to this dance? Like am I gonna have to wear a costume or a certain colour?" asked Maya.

"Nope! Just wear something sexy" replied Emily with a wink.

"Sexy huh? So I should pull out one of my three dresses I own?"

"You don't have to wear a dress...wear whatever you feel sexy in".

"Okay, I have the perfect idea! What are you gonna wear?"

"I'm not telling".

"Not fair!"

"It's what I won't be wearing later that night..." whispered Emily into Maya's ear as she took off for the front doors again.

"Wait what?!" shouted Maya as she chased her girlfriend down the halls.

She ran up to her side and linked fingers together as they walked out the front doors of the school. Emily smiled her cheeky smile and Maya blushed at the thought of her girlfriend without clothes on.

"So what are we gonna do after the dance?" asked Maya curiously.

"Well my mom is gone for the weekend" replied Emily with a smile on her face.

"You want me to spend the night?"

"Yes...but only if you want to".

Maya's eyes lit up with excitement as she gulped loudly before answering.

"I'd love to!"

"Good, then it's settled! The dance and then back to my place for the night".

"Sounds good to me".

They both turned their heads to each other and smiled. Maya rested her head against Emily's shoulder as they continued to walk towards Maya's house. Suddenly Maya stopped them both from walking.

"What's wrong?" asked Emily.

"Can we sit for a minute?"

"Sure!"

Emily and Maya sat on the nearest bench to them. Maya took a deep breath and began to talk.

"I've been living in Rosewood for about a month and a bit now..."

"Yes..." interrupted Emily.

"Let me finish!"

"Sorry..."

Maya giggled and began speaking again.

"You've been there for me from the beginning. You held my hand and guided me through the process of getting to know people and getting used to my surroundings. I just need you to know that I appreciate that gesture more than anything you've ever done for me. You are the most beautiful girl in the whole world and I am so glad that I can call you mine. Every time I see you even though I see you every day, I still get butterflies. Your smile is the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen and every time I make you smile, I can't help but do the same. Emily Fields...you are amazing and I don't say things unless I mean it. I love you".

Emily smiled from ear to ear as she listened to Maya speak those three words. She knew it was early into their relationship but she felt the exact same way.

"I love you too!" replied Emily.

They leaned in and kissed each other passionately. They smiled and looked deeply into each other's eyes. It was that moment right there and then, that they both knew they were right where they belonged. They rested their heads against each other and sat in a comfortable silence together. The love they felt for each other was the most genuine thing either of them had felt in a long time.


	9. Dancing On My Own

The weekend arrived pretty quickly. Everyone was getting ready for the school dance and the nerves were at an all time high. The pressure wasn't on for the guys anymore, it was a Sadie Hawkins dance which meant it was up to the girls to make it a good night for themselves and their dates.

Emily stared into the mirror in front of her, fixing every last piece of her hair in place. She wore a skin tight silver mini dress and a pair of black heels. She stood up straight and stared at herself one more time before she heard the doorbell ring.

"It's Maya!" shouted her mother from downstairs.

"Coming!" replied Emily as she grabbed her clutch and headed down the stairs.

As she descended down the steps towards the front door where Maya was waiting, she smiled. Maya stared, jaw dropped, as Emily slowly approached. Maya was wearing a dress too. The first time she had seen her in one. It was all black with a lace poof at the bottom. She looked gorgeous.

"You look..."

"Tell me later" interrupted Emily.

Emily's mom got them to stand together so she could take a picture. Once the picture was taken they said their goodbyes and made their way to Emily's car (her mother was letting her have the car until midnight).

"You girls have a good time! And Emily remember to lock the doors behind you this weekend. We won't see you before we leave so enjoy your weekend. No parties!" piped her mother.

"Okay, okay! Have a good weekend with dad".

Emily's mom leaned in and kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"Take care of this one" said Emily's mom.

"Oh I will, don't worry Mrs. Fields".

Emily's mom watched as they drove away to the school dance. After they made it around the corner Emily spoke.

"What the hell was that?!"

"What was what? asked Maya.

"You and my mom..."

"I was just being friendly! Sorry!"

"I know but still..."

"Can I finish what I was saying earlier?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You look amazing!"

Emily smiled and quickly turned to her girlfriend.

"You don't look half bad yourself! I'm impressed to see you in a dress".

"I had to, but only for you".

They soon arrived at the school and Emily parked the car. They both made their way into the gym and saw the rest of the girls including Alison as they walked through the hall towards the gym doors.

"Hey Em!" piped Hanna.

"Hey!" she replied.

"How you been?" asked Spencer.

"Good, and you?"

"I've been good!"

There was an awkward silence when Emily spoke.

"Well I guess we'll see you inside..."

Emily grabbed Maya's hand and started to walk into the gym but Aria stopped them.

"...Hey Em!"

Emily turned around.

"Yeah..."

"We miss you!"

"Miss you too..." said Emily as she turned back around and joined her girlfriend in the gym.

Maya immediately dragged Emily out on the dance floor but could tell something was bothering her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing".

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah..."

"Seeing the girls didn't upset you?"

"No, why would it?"

"You can't let Alison come between your friendship with the other girls. It's just not right!"

"My friendship with the girls is perfectly fine!"

"Then why are they telling you that they miss you?"

Emily paused for a minute. Maya stared at her and smiled. She pulled Emily in closer as a slow song began and she started to slowly sway with her girlfriend in her arms. Emily placed her head against her shoulder and let out a small smile.

"It's okay if you want to go over and see them..."

"...I'm fine! I swear!"

"You're saying that but your body language is telling me something else".

"I asked you here so we could be together, not so I could come and mend things between the girls and I".

"Look...Alison isn't even hanging around the girls right now, go and talk to them!"

"I'll do it another time!"

"Just go now!"

Maya pushed Emily towards her friends but she stopped and looked back at Maya. She didn't say a word, just stared at her.

"Go!..."

Emily let out a huff and walked over to the girls to speak to them. Maya went to grab a drink and continued to stare in the direction of the girls as she watched her girlfriend mend the awkwardness between her and her best friends. She smiled every time Emily would and laughed each time one of them cracked a laugh themselves. Just as she was about to walk over and talk to them with her, Alison popped up in front of Maya.

"Look Maya...I'm really sorry!"

"Alison...not now, please!"

"Can you please just hear me out?"

"I've been warned about your kind. You're said to manipulate and lie your way out of a lot of things but it's not going to work with me".

"I'm just trying to make things right".

"I came here to be with Emily and I don't need you distracting either of us from having fun".

"I'm not the one distracting her Maya" said Alison as she looked over to see Emily and the girls in deep conversation.

Maya looked over and saw her girlfriend, who seemed really into the conversation going on across the gym floor.

"What do you want Alison?"

"I just want one dance!"

"With Emily?! I doubt she'll want that!"

"No...with you".

"With me?!"

"Yeah..."

"And why is that?"

"I just want one song to try and explain myself".

Maya paused and shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was about to say to Alison.

"Fine! But only one song!" piped Maya.

Alison smiled and grabbed Maya's hand, dragging her to the other side of the gym where it was harder for Emily to see them both. Maya looked back as she watched Emily slowly fade into the crowd. A slow song began to play again as Alison pulled Maya in closer.

"Do we really have to dance?" asked Maya.

"Do you want to make this look legit for her or would you rather her come over and start asking questions?"

"Like I said earlier Alison, what do you want from me?"

"I want you to understand where I'm coming from".

"So you still don't trust me huh?"

"I don't trust anyone".

"I don't get it..."

"If I could just get a second chance to build a friendship with you, Emily could be even happier. She'd have her best friends and her girlfriend".

"Don't you get it Alison? She does have her best friends and me but you're just not involved in that scenario".

"What did I ever do wrong?" asked Alison with hurt in her voice.

"You tried to ruin our relationship. You lied to both of us and made us believe that her and I didn't belong to each other".

Alison could see that Emily was beginning to approach them so she leaned in and kissed Maya. Maya was in complete shock and just stared wide eyed at Emily who had seen the kiss. Alison pushing Maya off of her, yelled...

"Maya!" she shouted.

"Emily this isn't what it looks like" said Maya with concern in her voice.

"Why are you dancing with her in the first place?!"

"She asked to talk me, I didn't know she was going to pull a stunt like that!"

"Emily, don't listen to her! She's lying!" yelled Alison

Maya was now furious. She couldn't believe Alison set her up, and in such a public and humiliating place.

"Emily please..." said Maya.

Maya stared back and forth between her girlfriend and her ex-best friend. She knew who was right and who was wrong but she hated that they were both acting really immature about it. Maya should've never snuck away with Alison and Alison should've never tried to kiss her girlfriend and blame it on her. Emily shook her head and walked towards the front doors of the gym.

"Emily wait!" yelled Maya as she chased her down.

Emily turned around really fast to face an oncoming Maya.

"What?!"

"You don't actually believe her, do you?"

"I told you she was trouble and you didn't listen!"

"She kissed me, not the other way around!"

"I know that! But what were you doing dancing with her?!"

"She asked me to listen".

"Since when do you listen to people like Alison?"

"Since I know she's your best friend! Emily, I want nothing more then for you to be happy. Alison's right...you need your best friends, not just me. I was willing to hear her out but she obviously pulled a typical Ally move by trying to kiss me! I'm sorry that it happened!"

"Even after I told you about her deceitful ways?"

"I thought maybe you were wrong..."

Emily let out a huff and started to walk to the corner of the gym. Maya tried to follow her but Emily turned around and said,

"When you finally realize who's team your on then come see me, I'll be dancing in the corner by myself".

Maya's face turned a beat red as she watched her girlfriend make her way to the corner of the room. She stared at her wondering what she had said to make her feel that way. She should've listened to Emily in the first place then none of this would've happened. Was she wrong for trying to get her girlfriend's friendships back in place or was that a complete mistake? She just hoped her girlfriend would forgive her before the night was over. She had only one dance with her and they hadn't even made it back to her house for the sleepover yet.

Emily continued to dance on her own until the other girls minus Alison joined her. They all seemed to be giving her hugs and sympathy from across the room. Maya had screwed up by talking to Alison but at the time it felt right. Would she still be staying the night or not? She could only hope for the best.


	10. Lay Down With Me

**SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG! I'VE BEEN WORKING A LOT! BUT HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR YOU, I REALLY HOPE YOU ENJOY IT :)**

Emily left the dance with the other girls and walked home. She hadn't heard from Maya since they fought over Maya's talk with Alison. She was feeling kind of guilty for getting on her case so much about the situation but it felt like Maya was betraying her. Emily was committed to not speaking with Alison no matter how hard she may have tried so why was Maya okay with opening up to her?

She approached the front steps of her house and saw that Maya was sitting on the porch.

"Hi..." said Maya quietly.

"Hi..." replied Emily.

"Can I come in?"

"I guess..."

Emily opened up the door and let Maya in behind her. She closed the door and locked it. Maya waited for her and followed Emily into the living room where they both sat on separate couches. There was a moment of silence before Maya spoke.

"I'm sorry Emily. I'm not good at avoiding people. I can't just push someone aside and not speak to them when they're trying so hard to speak to me".

Emily paused before answering.

"I just don't understand how you could dance with her and listen to her after everything she said and did to try and break us up".

"I've always been the person who listens no matter who I'm listening to. She reached out and I listened, it doesn't mean I accepted her apology or feel differently about what she did to us".

"I understand that, I just hope you understand why I reacted the way I did".

"Of course".

Emily looked at Maya and smiled. She was happy they were alone and together again. She hated fighting with her and she wanted nothing more then to be sleeping in her arms tonight.

"Does this mean I can stay tonight?" asked Maya.

"Of course" replied Emily.

Maya smiled and got off the couch to sit next to Emily. She grabbed her hands in hers and looked straight into her eyes.

"You were the most beautiful girl at that dance tonight. When you basically told me to come back after I knew what team I was on, I came straight to your house. I knew if I stuck around we'd just end up fighting again. I hate fighting with you. I hate being mad at you, because all I want to do is love you".

Emily stopped Maya and kissed her. She threw her arms around her neck and pulled her in closely. They both had never felt so close to one another in the time they had been together. What better night then to spend the night together. With Emily's parents gone, Alison completely out of the picture now, and their feelings laid out on the table...it was the perfect timing.

"I love you" whispered Emily.

"I love you too" whispered back Maya.

Emily got off the couch and held her hand in front of Maya. Maya grabbed her hand and Emily lifted her off the couch. They held hands as Emily guided them up to her room. When Emily opened the door, she saw that there were dozens of candles lit around the room.

"How...what...I don't understand..." said Emily.

"Hanna told me where you keep the spare key".

Emily smiled and turned her body so it was pressed against Maya's. She grabbed the sides of Maya's face and placed a gentle kiss on Maya's forehead, causing a huge smile to sweep across her face.

"Every time I think you've out done yourself, you see to do more".

"I care about you Emily and when I care about someone, I give them all of me".

Maya grabbed Emily's hand and placed it above her left breast.

"Do you feel that?" she asked.

"Yes..."

"That's how I feel every time I'm around you".

Emily slowly dropped her hand from Maya's chest and grabbed Maya's hand to do the same.

"I'm the same way with you".

They both smiled at each other and kissed yet again. Emily slowly crept over to the bed and laid on it, facing Maya with a cheeky smile across her face.

"Come lay down with me" she said.

Maya slowly crept over to the bed as well and laid next to Emily. They stared into each other's eyes without saying anything. All they did was smile. Emily stroked back a piece of hair dangling across Maya's face. Maya then grabbed her hand and kissed her palm gently. Emily sat up so she was cross-legged facing Maya who was lying down. The second she did it, Maya joined her.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere but here" said Emily.

"Me neither" replied Maya.

Emily grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing her naked torso with a black lacy bra. Maya did the same thing, revealing her naked torso with a red bra. Emily then took her bra off and smiled, Maya doing the same thing. They were now looking at each other's bare breasts without saying a word. Emily laid back down and Maya laid down with her. They wrapped their arms around each other so they were as close as possible. The warmth coming from both bodies, sent them into a bliss.

"You're so warm..." said Maya.

"You are too" replied Emily.

Maya took her hand and stroked back Emily's hair from her face. She pulled in closely and kissed her deeply. Their lips pressed together so they had no air to breathe. Both their lips opening for air but letting their tongues clash together in the heat of the moment.

Suddenly Maya in one swift motion, ended up on top of Emily in a straddled position. She leaned forward and kissed Emily's ear, down her neck, and to her breasts. Emily's nipples were hard locked inside Maya's lips as she sucked on them passionately. Emily letting out whispering moans each time Maya sucked a little harder.

"Are you okay?" whispered Maya.

Emily didn't say a word, she just nodded with her eyes half closed in pleasure. Maya scurried to the bottom of the bed, where she quickly undressed the bottom half of Emily. The only thing left on her were the black lacy panties that went with her bra that was now sprung out on the floor.

"I'm cold" said Emily.

Maya grabbed the extra blanket sitting at the bottom of the bed and wrapped it around the both of them. She kissed Emily from the breasts, all the way down to her hips then looked up at her to see her with her eyes closed, biting her lip. She stopped to smile.

"Don't stop" said Emily.

"Sorry..." said Maya as she continued to descend down her body with kisses.

Maya began softly kissing Emily's inner thighs. This was the first time that Emily had slept with a girl before but she wasn't nervous at all. She just laid back and enjoyed every minute of it.

Maya finished with a gentle kiss then let her tongue slide down the wet walls of her pussy. Emily arched her back with pleasure and let out a louder moan. Maya continued to slide her tongue up and down Emily's clit as Emily clutched the sheets beneath her. She had never felt so alive than in this very moment. Maya sped up a little, causing Emily's legs to quiver each and every time Maya's tongue would move up and down. Emily was now letting out deep breaths with a tiny moan at the end of each. Emily gripped Maya's hair as she let out her loudest moan yet.

"Slow down..." she whispered between breaths.

Maya did exactly what Emily told her, slowing the movement of her tongue down. Maya was enjoying every minute of pleasing her woman. She had done it before but she was so in love with Emily that it was pleasing her just to do it to her. As Emily's breath came back down, Maya sped up again only this time there was no pausing. She wanted Emily to climax. She slowly stuck two fingers inside her and continued to move her tongue up and down her wet pussy. Emily's breaths began to speed up and suddenly her back arched and she let out a sound of extreme pleasure.

Maya sat up and smiled as she watched Emily come back down from the high. She smiled as Emily slowly opened her eyes.

"Wow..." said Emily.

"Are you okay?" asked Maya.

Emily grabbed Maya and pulled her on top of her, kissing her forehead over and over again.

"That was amazing!"

"You are amazing".

Emily moved her body to the side which caused Maya to drop back down on to the bed. Emily went to climb on top of Maya but she stopped her.

"No..."

"But..."

"I wanted to please you tonight".

"But..."

"Emily...I'm okay, I promise".

"Are you sure?"

"Yes".

"Really sure?"

Maya giggled.

"I just want to lay in your arms and fall asleep".

Emily smiled and laid on her back. She motioned for Maya to lay her head on top of her chest and so she did. They laid their without saying a thing. They just took in each other's breaths and smiled. Neither of them could have asked for a better ending to a night.


	11. Close Call

Maya laid next to Emily, who had her arms wrapped around her. She smiled at her as she watched her sleep. She was so happy about how last night turned out. She wanted nothing more then to spend the night with her girlfriend.

Emily slowly opened her eyes and saw Maya smiling down at her so she smiled back.

"Good morning Beautiful" said Maya.

"Good morning" replied Emily with a groggy voice.

Maya turned her body so they were facing each other. Their arms were wrapped around each other as they stared into each others eyes silently. Emily leaned in and kissed Maya. She held her lips to hers for what seemed like minutes. She was exactly where she wanted to be and she was with exactly who she wanted to be with.

"What time does your mom get home today?" asked Maya.

"Not until around dinner time" replied Emily.

"Perfect! We can stay in bed all day" said Maya with a smile across her face.

"...last night was amazing" said Emily.

"It was".

"Thank you".

"For what?"

"For not bailing on me last night even though I left the dance pretty angry".

"I wanted to stay the night and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings at the dance. I just fell for Alison's tricky ways, I legitimately thought she was apologizing for real".

"Yeah well you'll slowly catch on to her ways".

Maya sat up in the bed as if she had heard something.

"What is it?" asked Emily.

"I thought I heard something downstairs".

"Really?"

Emily listened carefully but couldn't hear anything.

"Maybe I'm hearing things".

"I guess you are".

Emily pulled Maya back down on the bed and straddled her. They both giggled as they started play fighting under the covers. Suddenly Emily's door swung open and Emily's mom stood in the doorway.

"Emily..."

Emily quickly got off Maya and laid next to her, pulling the covers over both of their half naked bodies.

"Mom!"

"What are you doing?"

"We were just goofing around...Maya stayed the night after the dance because I was too scared to sleep alone, I hope that's okay".

"That's fine, I just wish you called to tell me".

"Sorry mom!"

"Can I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute Emily?"

"Yeah sure! I'll be out there in a second".

Emily's mom gave them both one last longing look then closed the door behind her and made her way down to the kitchen.

"That was close!" said Maya.

"I'll be right back!" said Emily as she grabbed a shirt on her way out the door and put it on.

Emily descended the stairs slowly and made her way towards the kitchen. Her mom was standing near the coffee machine, waiting for the coffee to brew.

"Mom..."

"What were you two doing up there?"

"I told you, we were goofing around".

"Goofing around?"

"Yeah! We were play fighting".

"You're not a kid anymore Emily".

"I know that! We were just having fun".

"And what kind of fun did you two get up to last night?"

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I don't know Emily? You tell me".

"We went to the dance and then came back here to sleep..."

"Is that all you did?"

"We watched a movie".

"Emily...you better not be hiding anything from me".

"I'm not hiding anything!"

"Because people are talking".

"Who's talking? What are you talking about?"

"I've heard rumours around town that you and Maya aren't just friends, that you've been caught kissing and holding hands. If there's something you need to tell me Emily then tell me now".

"There's nothing to tell mom!"

"Then you better get back to play fighting with Maya..."

"Mom..."

"I want her gone before dinner".

"She will be".

"Just making sure, that's all".

Emily huffed and made her way back upstairs. She had lied to her mom because she didn't want that to be the way she came out to her mom. She hadn't told her mom she liked girls yet but she just never found the right time yet, and today was definitely not the right time.

She opened the door to her room and started gathering Maya's clothes off the ground. She threw them at Maya who was staring intently at what Emily was doing.

"What's going on?"

"Get dressed!"

"Where are we going?"

"We're not going anywhere but you're going home".

"What's wrong?"

"My mom is catching on to us".

"So...maybe it's a good time to tell her about how you feel".

"Not now Maya! You gotta get going".

"Is your mom kicking me out?"

"Not exactly but she's not happy you're here".

"What brought on this anger?"

"I'm not angry".

"You sound angry".

"Well I'm not so..."

Maya shook her head and put her clothes on. She grabbed her purse and headed straight for the door. She opened it and expected Emily to stop her but Emily just sat on her bed in silence.

"Are you going to walk me to the door at least?"

Emily got off the bed and headed down the stairs to the front door. Maya stared at Emily, hoping for an explanation but she wasn't giving her anything.

"I guess I'll call you later?"

"Yeah..."

"Em...can I talk to you on the porch for a minute?"

"Yeah..."

"Thank you for having me Mrs. Fields!" yelled Maya.

Emily's mom came out of the kitchen and said her reluctant goodbye to Maya.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Emily's mom as Emily made her way out the door behind Maya.

"I'm just talking on the porch mom, I'll be back inside in a minute".

Emily closed the door behind her and sat on the porch next to Maya.

"You're acting weird" said Maya.

"I'm not acting weird" replied Emily.

"You are! You were perfectly fine until your mom came in. That was your chance to tell her how you feel and you blew it".

"I don't want to tell her!"

"Why not?"

"Because!..."

"Because why?"

"Because I'm scared!"

"Scared of what?"

"Of what she'll say Maya! She said people have been talking and that's why she's so curious about us".

"And?..."

"She's catching on and if she finds out...she's going to flip".

"She'll only flip if she finds out from someone else or catches us which she won't".

"How do you know that?!"

"Emily..." said Maya as she grabbed Emily's hands and held them in hers.

"...you need to calm down! You're overreacting! She'll find out when you're ready to tell her and I'll be here to support you".

"What if she hates me?"

"She's your mother Emily! A mother will never hate their own child".

"You think?"

"I know!"

"I'm sorry babe...I don't want you thinking I'm kicking you out. Maybe tonight I'll tell her".

"If you need me to be here then just let me know".

"I better do it on my own but thank you".

"You're welcome!"

Maya got up off the chair and held her arms out to hug Emily. Emily wrapped her arms around Maya tightly and squeezed her in close.

"I love you" she said.

"I love you too".

"Call me later?"

"I'll call you later".

They both smiled and gave each other a quick peck goodbye. Maya slowly walked away from Emily's house and just before she turned the corner, Emily stopped her.

"Hey Maya!"

"Yeah!..."

"Thanks again for an amazing night".

"Anytime".

They both smiled again and Maya disappeared around the corner. Emily stared out across the street. Maybe Maya was right, maybe her mom wouldn't care after she found out she liked girls. The only way to find out was to tell her and tonight at dinner would be the perfect time, she just hoped she'd be able to gain enough courage to do so.


	12. There's Something I Need To Say

**IT'S BEEN A WHILE I KNOW! I APOLOGIZE BUT HOPEFULLY YOU CONTINUE TO READ AND CONTINUE TO LOVE THE STORY LINE! P.S. IT'S A BIT OF A SMALLER CHAPTER!**

After Maya left Emily's house, Emily made her way back up to her room. She needed time to think about what Maya said. She wanted to tell her mom so bad. She didn't want to hide anything from her but the thought of her mom disagreeing with Emily's "choice" to like girls scared her. It wasn't her choice but she had this feeling her mother would react that way.

All afternoon Emily spent her time in her room, plotting out ways to tell her mom. Just as she was finally gaining up the courage to tell her, her mom called her down for dinner.

"Emily! Dinner's ready!" shouted her mom from downstairs.

Emily took a deep breath and made her way downstairs. She smiled as she greeted her mother who was sitting at the dining room table ready to eat.

"Smells good" said Emily.

"It's your favourite...spaghetti with meatballs".

Emily smiled and sat down across from her mom at the table. They began to eat but only after a few bites Emily's mom spoke up.

"Maya seems really nice".

"She is! She's a good friend to me mom".

"She's also a very pretty girl".

"You don't have to tell me that".

"I'm sorry for getting so angry with you when I came in today".

"I should have called to tell you".

"You don't need my permission to have a friend stay the night, especially when I'm gone. I feel safer when someone's here with you overnight".

"You don't have to apologize mom, it's fine!"

They continued to eat awkwardly in front of each other. Emily kept running through ways to tell her but she was so nervous and didn't know how to bring it up.

"What I said earlier..." said Emily's mom.

"About what?" asked Emily curiously.

"About people talking..."

"What about it?"

"Is there any truth to what they're saying?"

Emily started to feel the heat rise to her head. She knew she was red in the face. Now was the time to tell her but it felt like the hardest thing to do.

"If they were telling the truth, how would you feel?"

"Honestly...I'd feel somewhat hurt".

"Why?"

"Not because of the action but because you would have been keeping a secret from me, a secret that's not exactly something you should keep".

"It wouldn't bother you if it was true?"

Emily's mom went silent. She had a look of fear in her eyes. Was her daughter about to tell her the truth?

"Look there's something I need to say..." said Emily.

"Go ahead..." replied Emily's mom.

"This is the hardest thing I've ever had to say to you mom. I didn't ask for this, I didn't sign up for it...I like girls. There I said it! I've known for a while now but I never said or did anything about it because I thought it might of just been a phase for me. It's not every day you wake up as a girl and expect to fall in love with another girl. As a girl you always have a dream of getting married, having children, building a life together with that person and in those dreams it's usually a boy but..."

"But for you it's a girl".

"Exactly. I tried to fight the feelings I had but I'm sick and tired of running away from them. I keep running but they keep following me closely behind".

"So you are seeing this Maya girl?"

"Yes".

Emily's mom went silent again. She took a few more bites of her food before speaking again.

"I've heard bad things about this girl Emily".

"Mom! What happened to her being nice and very pretty?"

"I just don't want you getting hurt that's all".

"She's not going to hurt me mom".

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Are we really having this conversation right now?!"

"You're the one who just told me you're into girls!"

"Is Maya really the problem here?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about Emily".

"Oh come on mom! You seemed perfectly fine with the idea before I actually came out and said it. You're taking your frustrations out on my girlfriend when really you can't stand the fact that your daughter is in love with a girl!"

"Love is a strong word Emily".

"Love is what I feel when I'm with Maya!"

"Your father would be so disappointed".

"See! I knew it! I should have never said anything to you!"

"Some things are better left unsaid Emily".

"Is that how you feel?"

"Yes..."

"I'll be going now..." said Emily as she rose out of her seat and started making her way up to her room.

"Emily!" shouted her mother as she watched her walk away from the table.

Emily turned around to face her mother who was still sitting at the table with her half eaten bowl of spaghetti.

"You know, I thought out of all people you'd understand..." said Emily.

"Understand what? That my daughter is a..."

Emily's mom couldn't even finish her sentence.

"A lesbian?! Yes mom, your daughter is a lesbian. A lesbian who was so nervous and scared to tell you about it that she almost snuck out the window to avoid having this conversation with you. You once told me how nervous and scared you were to tell your parents that you were dating a guy in the military, well I was just as nervous and scared as you were. I tried to keep it a secret but after you almost caught Maya and I kissing in my bed this morning, I thought that I should just come out and tell you before you found out the hard way. Turns out no matter how I would have told you it would have been too hard for you to handle..."

Emily began walking up the stairs.

"Emily..."

"I'm going to Spencer's to finish some homework, don't bother waiting up".

"Emily!"

Emily ignored her mom and ran upstairs to her room. She slammed the door behind her and flopped on to her bed. She began crying and the more she cried the harder it got. All she wanted to do was lock herself in her room for the rest of her life. She hated her mom for the way she reacted. She hoped for the best but the best never came. The only person she knew who would understand was her girlfriend.

She packed a bag and picked up her cell phone from the bedside table. She dialed Maya's number and Maya picked up right away.

"Hey babe!" said Maya.

Maya could hear Emily crying on the other line.

"What's wrong?!"

Emily continued to cry but finally gain composure to speak.

"I told my mom..."

"And?..."

"Can I stay the night?"

"I'm sure my mom won't mind!"

"Perfect! I'll be there in ten minutes".

"Is everything okay?"

"Not really..."

"Okay! Hurry over!"

Emily hung up the phone and grabbed the bag she packed. She descended the stairs and looked over at her mom who was still sitting at the table. She was staring off into the distance and looked quite sad.

"Where do you think you're going?!" asked Emily's mom.

"Out!" replied Emily very hastily.

"Out where?"

"What's it to you?!"

"Emily..."

"Goodnight mom!"

And with that Emily opened the door and slammed it behind her. With her bag in hand, she made her way to her girlfriend's house. She couldn't wait to lie in the arms of the woman she loved. She needed comfort and the only comfort that could mend her shattered heart was that of Maya St. Germaine's.


End file.
